Sport Headgear with Audio Player

ABSTRACT

The current invention discloses a sport headgear with audio player. The sport headgear has an audio player attachment assembly that fastens an audio player to the sport headgear. The audio player attachment assembly is positioned to minimize the chance of direct impact as a result of the user&#39;s participation in a sport. The audio player attachment assembly is affixed to the sport headgear, securing the audio player and preventing it from being detached due to the movements in the sport. The current invention also includes a multiplicity of earphones affixed to the sport headgear, the earphones being connected to the audio player and positioned close to the user&#39;s ears to provide for enjoyment of music or other audio programs.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the priority of U.S. Ser. No. 61/558,592 filed on Nov. 11, 2011, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a sport headgear with an audio player, and more particularly to a sport headgear with an audio player securely attached to an attachment assembly that is steadily fastened or fully integrated to the sport headgear, providing easy enjoyment of music or other audio programs to the wearer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some sports require the participants to wear protective headgears as a precaution against injuries. Such sports include, but are not limited to: motorbike riding, bicycling, American football, and amateur boxing. Wearing the headgear protects the user from severe impacts and reduces the chance of concussions and brain damage. The headgear, however, gets in the way when a participant of the sport wants to listen to music or other audio programs for entertainment or motivational purposes. Moreover, putting an audio player such as an iPOD in a pocket of clothes when one is engaged in rigorous sport activities may prove to be cumbersome and dangerous to the participant. Unfortunately, the commercially available sports headgears are generally not equipped with audio devices suitable for entertainment purposes. While professional football players wear helmets that include communication devices, those are designed to facilitate exchange between players and the coaching staff, not for the purpose of entertaining or motivating the wearer with music or other programming.

Most sport participants, however, would welcome headgear that is equipped with an assembling structure, to which an audio player can be easily attached and removed. The wearer of the headgear would be able to listen to music or other audio programs while enjoying the thrill of their sport. Moreover, the tumultuous nature of the sports and possibility of sudden impacts require the audio player to be attached to the headgear in a secure manner. The audio player should also be protected from direct physical impact, such as a first punch when the headgear is a boxing helmet and the wearer is in a contest, or at least such chances should be minimized. The current invention addresses these issues by providing a sport headgear with audio player, plus particular designs of an audio player attachment assembly with specific locations for the attachment. In addition, the current invention maximizes the audio effects by well placed earphones, which allow the wearer to enjoy the music or audio program to the fullest extent. Another feature of the current invention is that the audio player is well protected from possible weather damages, prolonging the time period the player can be used.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,381 discloses a sports helmet that would include features such as an mp3 player, a radio, and a cellular telephone. The sports helmet includes a body member that is adapted for receiving a portion of the head of the user. The body member is adapted for protecting the head of the user from impacts. A strap assembly is coupled to the body member. The strap assembly is adapted for extending around a chin to the user for securing the body member to the head of the user. A communication assembly is coupled within the body member. The communication assembly is adapted for providing audio signals to the user when the body member is positioned on the head of the user.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,430,300 discloses methods for generating a directional sound environment include providing a headgear unit having a plurality of microphones thereon. A sound signal is detected from the plurality of microphones. A transfer function is applied to the sound signal to provide a transformed sound signal, and the transformed sound signal provides an approximation of free field hearing sound at a subject's ear inside the headgear unit.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,657 discloses a helmet having a sound device therein, includes a shell of a rigid material for protecting the head of a wearer, a liner mounted inside the shell and filled with a buffer material, and a speaker mounted inside a lower end portion of the shell or inside of the chin guard of the helmet. The speaker may be facing inwardly or outwardly. A plurality of speakers may also be employed. The positioning of the speaker enable the wearer of the helmet to hear the sounds from the speaker without altering the shape of the helmet shell to position the speaker near the ears.

Various apparatus are known in the art, but their structures are distinctively different from the current invention. Moreover, the prior arts fail to address all of the problems solved by the invention described herein. One embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention discloses a sport headgear with audio player to be used in a sport. The sport headgear with audio player comprises: a sport headgear; an audio player; an audio player attachment assembly affixed to the sport headgear, the audio player attachment assembly being positioned to minimize the chance of direct impact as a result of the sport, the audio player attachment assembly removeably holding the audio player to the sport headgear, preventing the audio player from being detached unintentionally and protecting the audio player from weather damage; and a plurality of at least one earphone affixed to the sport headgear, the earphones being connected to the audio player.

The current invention enables a sport participant to enjoy himself/herself by listening to music or other audio programs, even if the safety of the sport or other personal preferences require a headgear that normally does not include any entertainment device. A separate audio player may be easily lost or accidentally damaged if a sport participant holds one in his/her pocket. Moreover, the audio wires and earphones attached to a separate audio player can be cumbersome and easy to detach. The sport headgear with audio player introduced by the current invention deals with such problems.

The sport headgear has an audio player attaching assembly that holds an audio player to the sport headgear. With multiple earphones that may be attached to the headgear, the wearer may enjoy music or other audio programs without worrying about the audio player or the earphone wires inhibiting his/her maneuvers. Moreover, the audio player is positioned to avoid direct impact due to the nature of the sport. For example, for a boxing helmet, the audio player can be attached to the back of the helmet, avoiding a direct punch from the opponent. In addition, the actual usage of the sport headgear dictates that the audio player should be securely fastened to the headgear, even in random swift movements and precarious positions. In the mean time, the audio player should be easy to attach and detach with deliberate methods, allowing the wearer to adjust the programs being played or the volume.

An additional concern for preventing damages to the audio player is the weather. As many sports can be played or practiced in conditions such as rain and snow, the audio player may be damaged while the headgear is in use. Therefore, the audio player attachment assembly is designed to reduce possible harm to the audio player by severe weather conditions.

In summary, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sport headgear with audio player that entertains the wearer of the headgear with music or other audio programs.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a sport headgear with audio player that is easy to attach and detach the audio player with deliberate methods.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sport headgear with an audio player that has the audio player securely attached to the sport headgear to avoid unintentional detachment due random movements in the sport.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sport headgear with an audio player that has the audio player attached to a location of the sport headgear to minimize the chance of direct impact due to the sport.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sport headgear with an audio player that has an audio player that is shielded from weather damage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top-back exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet.

FIG. 2A is a back view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet.

FIG. 2B is a top view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are detailed illustrations of the audio player attachment assembly.

FIG. 4A is a back view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a motorcross helmet.

FIG. 4B is a close depiction of the audio player attachment assembly when the headgear is a motorcross helmet.

FIG. 5 is a top view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a motorcross helmet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiment of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a top-back, exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the current invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet. Shown are a boxing helmet 100, a back protective pad 110 of the boxing helmet 100, a back side 120 and a top side 140 of the boxing helmet 100, a back inner surface 125 of the boxing helmet 100, a right side 130 of the boxing helmet 100, an audio player 10, an audio player attachment assembly 170, an audio wire 150, and an earphone plug 160.

Although FIG. 1 shows the sport headgear as a boxing helmet, it should be clear that the sport headgear with audio player may be any headgear that is required or necessitated by safety concerns involved in any particular sport. The sports include but are not limited to: boxing, motorcycling, bicycling, American football, lacrosse, motorcross, hockey, fencing, and cricket. In addition, in some sports, it is only necessary for certain participants to wear headgear. One example is baseball, where only the catcher and hitter, having the concern of being hit by a flying ball, wear protective headgear. The current invention covers headgear used in such situations as well.

The audio player may be any device that provides an audio signal. The devices that can be used may be but not limited to: MP3 players, iPods™, Satellite Receivers such Sirius™, and AM/FM radio receivers. The audio player is preferably small in size because it is desirable that the audio player does not add too much weight to the sport headgear.

By their nature, sports, at least those that necessitate the use of a headgear, involve movements and change of positions. For example, in boxing, the wearer may move constantly and tilt his/her head frequently to dodge punches. The movements increase the possibility that the audio player may be detached from the headgear unintentionally, causing damage to the audio player and possibly interrupting the wearer's participation in the game or match. To minimize the likelihood of un-intentional dislodging of the audio player, the current invention discloses a specially designed audio player attachment assembly 170 that is integrated with the sport headgear, as shown in FIG. 1. One detailed structure of the audio player attachment assembly 170 is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 1 demonstrates that the audio player attachment assembly 170 is located at the back inner surface 125 of the boxing helmet 100 and that once anchored, the audio player 10 is connected with earphone plug 160, which sends audio signals to earphones that are not shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2A is a back view of a boxing helmet with an audio player. Shown are the boxing helmet 100, the audio player 10, the audio player attachment assembly 170, and the back side 120 of the boxing helmet 100. The audio player 10 here is shown to demonstrate the positioning of the audio player attachment assembly 170. For illustrative purposes, part of the back protective pad 110 of the boxing helmet 100 is shown as transparent, where as the actual device would have a non-transparent back protective pad 110, which blocks the view of the audio player 10.

FIG. 2B is a top view of a boxing helmet with an audio player. Shown are the boxing helmet 100, the audio player 10, the top side 140 of the boxing helmet 100, and the audio player attachment assembly 170. Again, the audio player 10 here is shown to illustrate the positioning of the audio player attachment assembly 170 relative to the boxing helmet 100. For illustrative purposes, part of the back protective pad 110 and the boxing helmet 100 are made transparent to make the audio player 10 visible. Since the audio player attachment assembly 170 is completely surrounded by the boxing helmet 100 and the back protective pad 110, an actual top view of the boxing helmet 100 will probably show the audio player 10 being blocked.

The fact that a headgear is required implies that the sport participant's head may be subject to direct impact, such as punches in a boxing match or head collision in a motorcycle crash, increasing the chance that an audio player may be damaged under direct impact. From FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, it is clear that the preferred location of the audio player attachment assembly 170 is at the back of the boxing helmet 100 under the back protective pad 110. Such a design not only reduces the chance of un-intentional dislodging of the audio player 10, but also minimizes the possibility of the audio player 10 being damaged by a punch in a boxing contest. The back of the helmet is the least likely position that may be hit by a direct blow.

The positioning of audio player attachment assembly on other sport headgears follows the same rationale to reduce possible direct impact. Take a motorcycle helmet as example, the audio player attachment assembly may be located on the lower back side of the helmet. The lower back side of the helmet is the most unlikely position to bump into the ground or other objects in a crash, minimizing the chance that the audio player attached to the helmet may be damaged. In many circumstances, the preferred location is on the back side of the sport headgear, which the location least likely to be impacted. However, it should be clear that the concern for direct blow should be balanced with other needs, such as the aesthetic appearance of the headgear with audio player, the ease to attach, and the arrangement of wires and earphones.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show the audio player attachment assembly 170 in more detail. FIG. 3A depicts the audio player attachment assembly 170 when the audio player 10 is not asserted. Shown in FIG. 3A are the audio player attachment assembly 170 having an audio player attachment recess 175, an audio player attachment cover 180, an audio player attachment strap 190, and a hinge 195. The earphone plug 160 is also shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3B illustrates the audio player attachment assembly 170 when the audio player 10 is asserted. Shown in FIG. 3B is the audio player 10, and the audio player attachment assembly 170 having audio player attachment recess 175, the audio player attachment cover 180, the audio player attachment strap 190, and the hinge 195. FIG. 3C shows the audio player attachment assembly 170 when the audio player attachment cover 180 is closed. Also shown in FIG. 3C is the audio player attachment cover opening strap 197.

The audio player attachment assembly 170 may take many forms. FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, in combination, show only one form of audio player attachment assembly 170 that secures the audio player 10 to a sport headgear. The audio player 10 is inserted in an audio player attachment recess 175 and kept secure by an audio player attachment strap 190. Then the audio player attachment cover 180 is closed to provide further anchoring and shielding of the audio player 10. The audio player attachment recess 175 is an alcove-like structure in the body of the boxing helmet 100. Since the audio player is preferably small, the audio player attachment recess 175 does not need to be too big. In general, a length-width-depth of approximately 15-8-2 centimeters would be big enough to enclose most of the commercially available audio players. Preferably, the audio player attachment recess 175 may be smaller and may be custom made to fit some most popular audio players.

One clear benefit of the present design is that it would not affect the general appearance of the sports headgear because the outside surface of the audio player attachment cover 180 may use the same color, pattern, and texture as the close surrounding materials of the sport headgear. Moreover, the current design conceals the presence of the audio player 10, avoiding the possible disruption to the conformity of the appearance of the sport headgear caused by an audio player. However, it should be noted that the audio player attachment cover 180 do not necessarily have to be used to shield the audio player 10 from view. The audio player attachment cover 180 may be made from transparent material such as clear plastic. The benefit of such design is the wearer may see the display of the audio player without opening the audio player attachment assembly 170. Moreover, the audio player attachment cover 180 may be made from rigid or flexible materials. The choice of a rigid cover improves the toughness of the audio player attachment assembly 170 and reduces the chance that the audio player 10 would be damaged. Using a soft or flexible cover, on the other hand, allows the user of the sport headgear to adjust the audio player 10 without opening the audio player attachment assembly 170.

Using an audio player attachment recess 175 and audio player attachment cover 180 also allows the audio player attachment assembly 170 to be weather-proof and prevents the audio player 10 from being damaged by rain or snow. Some sports may be performed in weather that is far from ideal. The current design of the audio player attachment assembly 170 may ensure that the audio player 10 would not be exposed to severe conditions. The audio player 10 is enclosed in the audio player attachment recess 175, covered by the audio player attachment cover 180, not being subjected to water damage that may result from bad weather.

The current design also ensures that the audio player 10 is securely attached to the sport headgear. The audio player attachment strap 190 binds the audio player 10 to the audio player attachment recess 175. The audio player attachment strap 190 may be directly stitched to the audio player attachment recess 175. In addition, other methods may be adopted to attach the audio player attachment strap 190 to the audio player attachment recess 175 as long as the attachment is secure and not too bulky in size. The ends of the audio player attachment strap 190 may be attached to each other in various designs. One approach is to use a loop-and-hook structure to allow the ends of the audio player attachment strap 190 to be adjustably connected to secure the audio player 10 in place. Similar structures, such as belt-buckle connection or a magnetic connection may also be used as long as the methods achieve the goal of easy attachment and detachment.

The audio player attachment cover 180, when closed, shields the audio player 10 from view and helps to secure the audio player 10 in the audio player attachment recess 175. The audio player attachment cover 180 may be closed in various ways. Shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is a design that requires a hinge 195. The audio player attachment cover 180 may bend from the hinge 195 and close on the audio player attachment cover 180. However, the hinge 195 is not absolutely necessary. The audio player attachment cover 180 may be closed while it is connected to the audio player attachment assembly 170 with a connecting fabric. As long as the audio player attachment cover 180 may be easily bent over the audio player attachment recess 175, the design is acceptable.

To prevent the audio player attachment cover 180 from unintentional opening, the cover may be attached to the edge of the audio player attachment recess 175 with a detachable connection design, such as a loop-and-hook structure, a snap-fastener, or small magnetic strips. To open the audio player attachment cover 180, a user may take hold of the audio player attachment cover opening strap 197 and pull up the cover. The key to the opening and closure of the audio player attachment cover 180 is that the cover should be opened with deliberate force, but not random interference.

It should be reiterated that the audio player attachment assembly may adopt different designs from what is shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C. For example, it is not absolutely necessary to have an audio player attachment recess, nor is it indispensible to include an audio player attachment cover 180. The key to the design of the audio player attachment assembly is that an audio player may be securely attached to a sport headgear at a specified location. As long as such a goal can be achieved, the design may be used.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show another embodiment of the sport headgear with audio player. Shown in FIG. 4A are motorcross helmet 200 having a back side 210, an audio player attachment assembly 170, an audio player 10, and an audio player attachment cover 180. FIG. 4B, a more detailed depiction of the audio player attachment assembly 170, shows the audio player attachment assembly 170, the audio player attachment cover 180, an audio wire 150, an earphone plug 160, and a hinge 195.

When an audio player 10 is asserted into the audio player attachment recess 175, the audio player 10 may be plugged in by an earphone plug 160. The audio wire 150 is connected to one of more earphones that are not shown herein. The earphones are positioned close to the ears of the wearer of the sport headgear with audio player. The earphone plug 160 may, but does not have to, be integrally connected to the audio player attachment assembly 170.

FIG. 5, a top view of a motorcross helmet with audio player, illustrates the positioning of the earphones. Shown are the motorcross helmet 200, audio player 10, audio player attachment assembly 170, and multiple earphones 20. Normal view will not allow the audio player 10 and the earphone 20 to be visible, because these structures are shielded by the motorcross helmet 200 and the audio player attachment assembly 170. The earphones may be placed at the interior of the sport headgear and close to where the wearer's ears may be. The number of the earphones must be one or more. The most common arrangement is to have two earphones, one for each ear. However, for better sound effect and enjoyment by the wearer, the number of earphones may be more than two. As shown in FIG. 5, six earphones are placed with three on each side for maximal surround sound effect.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. a sport headgear with audio player to be used in a sport, comprising: a sport headgear; an audio player; an audio player attachment assembly affixed to the sport headgear, the audio player attachment assembly being positioned to minimize the chance of direct impact as a result of the sport, the audio player attachment assembly removeably holding the audio player to the sport headgear, preventing the audio player from being detached and protecting the audio player from weather damages; and a multiplicity of earphones affixed to the sport headgear, the earphones being connected to the audio player.
 2. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 1, wherein the sport headgear is a boxing helmet.
 3. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 1, wherein the sport headgear is a motorcross helmet.
 4. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 1, wherein the sport headgear is a motorcycle or bicycle helmet.
 5. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 1, the audio player attachment assembly comprising an audio player attachment recess embedded in the sport headgear.
 6. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 5, the sport headgear having a back side and the audio player attachment assembly being affixed to the back side of the sport headgear.
 7. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 6, the audio player attachment assembly further comprising an audio player attachment cover, which shields the audio player attachment recess.
 8. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 7, wherein the audio player attachment cover is made from rigid material.
 9. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 7, wherein the audio player attachment cover is made from flexible material.
 10. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 7, the audio player attachment assembly further comprising an audio player attachment strap, which removeably secures the audio player to the audio player attachment recess.
 11. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 1, wherein the sport headgear has an interior and the earphones are attached to the interior of the sport headgear.
 12. a sport headgear with audio player to be used in a sport, comprising: a sport headgear having a back side; an audio player; an audio player attachment assembly affixed to the sport headgear, the audio player attachment assembly comprising, an audio player attachment recess affixed to the back side of the sport headgear, an audio player attachment cover capable of shielding the audio player attachment recess, an audio player attachment strap being attached to the audio player attachment recess and capable of removeably attach the audio player to the audio player attachment recess, and a multiplicity of earphones affixed to the sport headgear, wherein the earphones being connected to the audio player.
 13. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 12, wherein the sport headgear is a boxing helmet.
 14. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 12, wherein the sport headgear is a motorcross helmet.
 15. a sport headgear with audio player as claim 12, wherein the sport headgear is a motorcycle or bicycle helmet. 